Vegas With Dez & Jason – Our 3 Day Vacay

Dear Readers,

Jason and I spent my 23rd birthday at Vegas. This is Jason’s first U.S.A trip ever and my third time going to Las Vegas. As a couple, this trip is so special because it’s our first “couple trip” and we had such a remarkable time. I wanted to share our experiences with you guys and tell you everything that we did at Las Vegas! Let’s get this started!

August 30, 2018, Thursday – Our direct flight from Calgary to Vegas was scheduled to depart at 7:40 pm. To our dismay, Air Canada’s flight was delayed due to the plane being late on arrival. Our departure time was moved to 9:15 instead, and we arrived at Vegas at 11:15 pm (Vegas time).

Jason and I were super saddened by this, because we were already so excited to get to Vegas and at least explore a little bit after checking in at the hotel. However, you can’t change the things that are out of your control… so we patiently waited at YYC airport. Here’s us killing time:

When we landed, we checked in at Harrah’s Las Vegas. Our room was great and had a nice view of the pool, and the strip!

VEGAS TRAVEL TIP: Download Lyft for any transportation needs from McCarran International Airport to any parts of Las Vegas! You can also use Lyft to pick you up from any hotel on the strip and go to any points of Vegas you want to go to. In fact, Jason and I ONLY used Lyft to get around the strip, and to get anywhere else we wanted to go.

DAY 1

August 31, 2018, Friday – After sleeping in, Jason and I started our day walking around The Forum Shops, and made our way to The Cosmopolitan. The first thing on our travel itinerary at Vegas was to eat at a buffet. Thus, on the first day we planned to eat at Wicked Spoon Buffet. Out of all the hundreds of buffets at Vegas, we picked Wicked Spoon because of the buffet’s high reviews and from my own past experience eating there. The food literally filled us up with pure joy because it was so delicious, and we had sooooo much options. Wicked Spoon had various cuisines ranging from Asian, Italian, French, American, and Mediterranean. The best part of the buffet was the dessert area!!! They had desserts from cakes, chocolates, and even gelato!!!

After, we continued into our stroll around the strip and took more photos. Eventually, around 3:00 pm we headed back to Harrah’s to rest and get ready for the night. For dinner, Jason and I walked over to In-N-Out. We quickly fell in love with In-N-Out because their burgers were soooo juicy and the animal fries were just too good to be true. As an extreme onion lover (Jason always orders “extra onions” on all his food, especially his burgers), Jason was impressed by the portions In-N-Out delivered. They were definitely not stingy on the veggies!!!

After dinner, I wanted to take Jason to Downtown Las Vegas at Fremont Street. Since the casinos on the strip are a bit more expensive, if you’re planning on doing some heavy gambling, then Downtown Las Vegas is where you should do it!!!

You’ll surely find $5 black jack tables and $5 roulette tables (minimum bet) anywhere along Fremont Street. On top of the cheap casino tables, there are plenty of live street performances that will surely amuse and entertain you. Remember, all of these street performers share their talents for free – just don’t forget to tip your favorite ones!

DAY 2

September 1, 2018, Saturday – Jason and I started our day taking a Lyft ride to Jollibee in Seafood City Supermarket. Jollibee is a classic Filipino fast food place and has captured the heart of each Filipino through their delicious menu items such as the Chicken Joy, Yum burger, and the classic Jollibee Spaghetti.

Currently, Calgary doesn’t have Jollibee and I really wanted Jason to try Jollibee so he can understand why I talk highly about this fast food franchise. In the Philippines, Jollibee was a big part of my childhood growing up and I really wanted Jason to take part of this food experience with me. I also wanted him to experience a taste of Jollibee because I knew he would enjoy the famous Jollibee fried chicken known as “Chicken Joy”. After his first time trying Jollibee, Jason can finally agree with me, when I say, “I looooove Jollibee!”

After Jollibee, Jason and I went back to the strip and explored it even more. Around 3:00 pm we decided to go back to the hotel to use the pool and relax. Harrah’s pool is not too tiny, but it’s not the biggest either. If you’re looking for a Vegas hotel with a big pool, then Harrah’s is not the one for you. However, the best part about Harrah’s is definitely their location at the strip. Harrah’s is really close to The Venetian, The Linq, Mirage, The Forum Shops, Caesar’s Palace, and Bellagio.

After spending the afternoon at our hotel, we spent our last night watching Fountains of Bellagio. Then, we sat down for dinner at Jasmine inside Bellagio. At Jasmine, they served delicious traditional Cantonese cuisine. The price range of this restaurant is definitely on the expensive end. However, if you’re a serious peking duck lover like Jason is, then you wouldn’t mind spending money at Jasmine – their peking duck was AMAZING!!! Perhaps, the best I had ever had!!!

I also think that Jasmine’s ambiance is so romantic and sweet. Their restaurant has a great view of the fountains and you get to watch the fountain show while you eat. While we were eating, we even witnessed a proposal inside the restaurant. It was soooo sweet!!! I can feel their love just from watching a few feet away!

TAKE NOTE: Jasmine observes a business casual dress code from their guests. At first, we were worried that they wouldn’t let Jason in, due to the fact that my man was wearing flip-flops and a Nike shirt. However, the sweet and nice hostess welcomed us and in return, we tipped them generously for their great customer service.

DAY 3

September 2, 2018, Sunday – Our last day. Sadly, our trip had to come to an end. Our direct flight back to Calgary was scheduled for 4:40 pm from McCarran International Airport to YYC. Again, Air Canada’s flight from Vegas to Calgary was another big disappointment. We departed Vegas late yet again, due to the aircraft’s air conditioning (A/C) system being down. The crew spent 45 minutes trying to fix the A/C while having their passengers burn inside the airplane as they fix the A/C unit. I mean, couldn’t they let us wait inside the airport instead of trapping us in an airplane under the hot Vegas sun. Some of the passengers were sweating so much, and had to fan themselves just to escape the heat. On top of all that, we landed about a hour and 10 minutes behind schedule and caused some serious issues with our transportation back home. At that point, I finally gave up all hopes with Air Canada… since I had too many unfortunate and unpleasant experiences flying with them, I will now avoid all Air Canada flights at all costs.

Guys, book WestJet or Delta instead!!! Trust me, they’re sooo much better, more reliable, and definitely more customer focused.

But before all that, we still had a few hours after checking out of Harrah’s to explore Vegas for a little bit more. On the last few hours before we left Vegas, we decided to go back to The Venetian to kill some time before our flight. Inside The Venetian, we walked to St. Mark’s Square and ate Cocolini’s. After devouring our gelatos, we went to It’Sugar to buy some candies for us to eat at the airport and to bring back home for our families. Jason bought boxes of candy as “pasalubong” or gifts for his little brother and Aurora.

Just like that, Jason and I just had another bucketlist item CHECKED. Our Vegas trip was so memorable and I know we will treasure those 3 days forever. Now, I sit here daydreaming about our future travels and where we will go to next. But for now, I want to end this blog post with this short “Las Vegas Vacay” video I created.